Chapter 457: I Can Do It
The shoulder bash was so sudden that it caught Greninja completely off guard, sending it stumbling backward. For so long, it had been the one using fluid techniques to overwhelm opponents without moves. Now, it had finally met its match.
Forrest's follow-up command was instantaneous. "Roundhouse kick!"
Immediately after the impact, Lucario regained its footing, pivoted on one leg, and unleashed a beautiful spinning kick at the staggered Greninja.
"Lean back!" Arthur's command was just as fast. He was, after all, a trainer who could keep pace with a battle moving at nearly 200 miles per hour.
As Greninja stumbled back, it couldn't even clearly see Lucario's leg coming, but its trust in its trainer was absolute. The moment the command came, it threw its upper body backward. The razor-sharp claws on Lucario's toes scraped past the tip of its nose, a hair's breadth away.
Even without special moves, their close-quarters exchange was incredibly perilous, every step a potential killing blow.
Forrest's first plan failed, but he immediately launched another. "Get in close, disarm him!"
Arthur's timely command had saved Greninja from being sent flying, but the brief moment it took to right itself gave Lucario the opening it needed. It took a step forward, its objective clear, and chopped at the hand Greninja was using to hold its water kunai.
A jolt of pain shot through its wrist, and Greninja's three webbed fingers were forced to release the weapon. But Arthur immediately countered.
"Kick the blade! Then retreat!"
The water kunai fell, but before it could hit the ground, Greninja snapped its leg up, kicking the handle and sending the blade spinning straight for Lucario's face. Even under such intense pressure, Arthur and Greninja had found an opportunity to strike back.
"Brilliant!" the commentator roared in approval.
Lucario swung its arm, deflecting the kunai with the spike on the back of its hand. But that brief delay broke its momentum, giving Greninja the chance to escape. It leaped back twice, re-establishing distance, and simultaneously retrieved the final backup kunai it kept tucked away. It had to keep at least one kunai on hand, or it wouldn't be able to use its Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist.
On the surface, the first exchange of blows seemed to be an even match. However, any professional trainer with a decent ability to read a battle could see the predicament Arthur was in.
In the Starlight and Frost lounge, Leo stated bluntly, "This doesn't look good for Arthur."
Aaron agreed. "Yeah. The phase where he has shuriken should be the strongest part of his combo cycle. Normally, that advantage should last until he expends his weapons with the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist. But right now, Greninja hasn't even landed the Fist, and its opponent has already forced it down to its last blade."
In terms of skill and the commands from their trainers, Greninja was in no way inferior. But in terms of raw physical stats—strength, agility, and energy output—there was a clear gap between it and Lucario. Forrest's Lucario was, after all, a captain-level ace. And it had maintained a very high win rate this season against other Pokémon in its class. It had its own story, just as impressive, just as legendary.
"Regulate your breathing, Greninja," Arthur's voice came through the link. "Don't falter. Again. Charge!"
The moment Arthur gave the order, Greninja's eyes narrowed. Without a moment's hesitation, it gripped its kunai and charged forward, silent and resolute.
In this life, I will be second to none!
Even if it was temporarily outmatched in strength, its pride was no less than that of its powerful foe. More than anything, it refused to let down the trainer who had invested so much in it.
Once, it was just an ordinary Froakie, a troublemaker in a small pond at a Pokémon daycare. Its loftiest ambition was probably to take over a slightly larger pond and get its own tablet to watch anime without skipping episodes. Looking back, its aspirations were pitifully small.
It was Arthur who led it out of that daycare, who showed it the vast and wonderful world.
What touched Greninja most was that even after Arthur began to find the descendants of his former Pokémon, even after he was reunited with his past aces, he never once gave up on carefully training it. To this day, Greninja still received the most one-on-one training time from Arthur. The only time that had changed was briefly after Little Eevee evolved, when it became the "favored one."
Greninja was deeply grateful for this. Arthur never said anything sentimental, but his actions spoke volumes: You are not a temporary tool for me in this new life. Even as my old partners return, you will always be my most important starter in this world.
This trust and favoritism were etched into Greninja's heart. That was why it yearned to become Arthur's ace—an ace that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Specter and Old Flame. The heart of a ninja is often silent and reserved, willing to lay down its life for the one who recognizes its worth.
So, in this battle, even facing a Lucario an entire tier above it in power, it felt no fear.
They clashed again. After a few more exchanges, Greninja still couldn't gain the upper hand, but it managed to hold onto its last water kunai.
Then—"Now! Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist!" Arthur seized a fleeting opening and gave the decisive command.
The timing was exquisite. Lucario had no time to put up a guard. Greninja's fist, wreathed in flowing water, slammed into its opponent's side—a familiar kidney shot, its favorite angle of attack.
But its opponent was no pushover.
"Endure it! Use Counter!"
Forrest hadn't predicted Arthur's timing for the punch, but he had found his own way to strike back. A delayed response that was, in fact, even more effective. The Fighting-type move: Counter! It dealt maximum damage when unleashed the instant an attack was received. While it didn't literally return "double" the damage, the force of the retaliation was still immense.
Most importantly, Lucario's incredible physical fortitude allowed it to tank the full force of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist without its stance breaking. The counter-attack was instantaneous and devastatingly powerful, dealing no less damage than Greninja's own armor-piercing blow.
"This is bad…" Back in the lounge, Leo gripped the armrests of his chair.
Greninja's strongest punch had failed to gain an advantage. Now, its water kunai was gone, and Arthur's combo would enter its cooldown period.
As expected, Lucario pressed its advantage, unleashing a furious barrage of attacks while Greninja was vulnerable. Even when Greninja managed to summon new weapons with Water Shuriken, it couldn't turn the tide.
The fierce exchange had already lasted for a full two minutes. Lucario's advantage was becoming more and more pronounced.
The longer the battle went on, the more Greninja struggled. Its body and spirit were being tested simultaneously. Is it really this hard? Even with all this, can I still not win against a true ace? Have I... failed my trainer's expectations after all?
Jumbled thoughts began to mix with the accumulating pain. The agile ninja's steps seemed to be growing heavier.
Arthur noticed the change immediately.
"Backstep, disengage from this exchange and create distance! Greninja, regulate your breathing! This is no time to give up! You can do it!"
Sometimes, the dawn that pierces the darkness can be a single, simple phrase that means little to an outsider. No one could have known that Arthur's simple words, "You can do it," would ignite Greninja's resolve like never before.
Master says I can do it! That's right, he's never given up on me! Even if I'm not as strong as Old Flame or Specter, he's never treated me as anything less than them! I can be an ace too!!
In that instant, something happened that even Arthur himself didn't expect.
Without holding any item, Greninja's entire body suddenly erupted in a blinding white light.
"Is that… evolution?!"
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